Objects and Meaning: New Perspectives on Art and Craft

Book Description

Objects and Meaning expands upon a national conversation questioning how various academic disciplines and cultural institutions approach and assign meaning to artist-made objects in postmodern North America. Although most of the discourse since the mid 20th century revolved around the split between art and craft, the contributors to this collection of essays take a broader view, examining the historical, cultural, and theoretical perspectives that defined the parameters of that conversation. Their focus is on issues concerning works that appeared to cross over from mainstream art to an amorphous and pluralistic aesthetic milieu that has yet to be defined.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for deeper thinking on craft and art........2005-11-29

I just read this book to gain a new perspective on the meaning of craft objects in an age where contemporary craft is about more than beauty or being well-made. The essays are thoughtful, approach the subject from many different viewpoints and are mostly easy to comprehend without having to know much about the artists or philosophers mentioned. I intend to use this book to train my museum volunteers and to encourage them to think of the meaning of objects beyond their obvious purpose. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a wider philosophical perspective on art.

One of the best art books.......2005-09-28

I would consider this one of the most important books I have read about art in quite some time. I am so excited about this book I am trying to share it with people I believe will have the same excitement. It is full of ideas about objects as an art making process and entity and what that means in contemporary art and society. This is not a book for just "craft" people, but all those that have an interest in expanding their knowledge about an often misunderstood art. Don't let the textbook look or the lack of decent images put you off, this book is worth every penny of its investigation.

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Great for Fair Isle Work!
Read for a good understanding of what Fair Isle knitting is
great historical book and supplement to other FI books

Traditional Fair Isle Knitting
Sheila McGregor
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Textile & Costume | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Knitting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 048643107X

Book Description

Well-known, definitive guide shows how any circular method knitting technique can yield the popular Fair Isle patterns. More than 70 pages of designs include patterns for mittens, jerseys, jackets, hats, and more. Practical advice on design and color provides endless variations and adaptations. 31 halftones and 17 color illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Great for Fair Isle Work!.......2007-01-16

Sheila McGregor is a knitting goddess! I would NOT recommend this for a beginning knitter.. there are no direct patterns for sweaters, but the charts are numerous and authentic! just make sure you count the number of stitches in each repeat! this is a must have for any color knitter bored with the usual patterns out there!

Read for a good understanding of what Fair Isle knitting is.......2005-08-31

If you are a fairly experienced knitter and can create the garment basics (i.e. figure your gauge and cast on accordingly), it is indispensible. If you need a pattern with directions (e.g. cast on x number of stitches on size y needles), this book does not supply that. It gives guidelines for garments, just not full patterns. What it does supply is a fabulous history of this knitting art form, explanations of how it developed and how it was used. Lots of great pictures. The third part of the book is dedicated to patterns in graph form, which is just the way I like it, personally. I've enjoyed browsing through it and putting my creativity to the challenge of creating what I want to make. If it ever gets cold down here in Texas, that vest made of Harris tweed wool will be great. Luckily, I knit for the knitting more than for the finished product.

great historical book and supplement to other FI books.......2004-01-26

This is a great older reprint for Fair Isle knitters. There seems to be more historical detail than some of the other fair isle books (Starmore and Feitelson).
Also included are hundreds of fair isle stitch patterns for designing your own sweater. The only drawback to the stitches is the lack of color (the patterns are black and white only). So the color aspect of fair isle knitting is not as fully explored here. Overall, a great deal of information for the price!

Average customer rating:

Wide ranging - for the beginner

Tartans: Their Art and History
Ann Sutton , and Richard Carr
Manufacturer: Arco Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Textile Arts | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Weaving | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0668061898

Customer Reviews:

Wide ranging - for the beginner.......2003-01-16

This is a popular-level, wide ranging book about tartan, including some historical details, some discussion of tartan design, and some (ridiculously brief) instructions on hand-weaving.

Book Description

Self-assured waitress Tina is the star of the strip Tina's Groove by cartoonist Rina Piccolo. Readers can follow the adventures-in her personal life and as she works at Pepper's restaurant-of this single, smart, attractive woman in her 30s.

Supporting players include Tina's best friend, Suzanne, a fellow waitress with a busily buzzing social calendar and a penchant for offering unsolicited advice; Carlos, a man's man who talks a good game; Monica, a spacey, distracted hostess at the restaurant; Rob, the straitlaced restaurant manager; and Claud, the outlandish, storytelling, truck-driving Pepper's regular.

Tina's Groove is sure to appeal to independent working women in their 30s who are hungry for a character to whom they can relate. In syndication for more than three years, the strip appears in such newspapers as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Arizona Republic, and the Toronto Star.

Customer Reviews:

Tina is in the Groove.......2006-07-04

When I received my Tina's Groove collection in the mail, I read it from cover to cover immediately. I love how much wit and humor Rina Piccolo can convey through such a lovable and adorable character. I relate to Tina and her friends and I think that most people will find something about these lively characters that will remind them of a friend or themselves. I love this column and hope that the cartoonist will share another collection soon. The only bad thing about the book is that it ended!

Customer Reviews:

A fun and interesting trip around America........1998-11-14

Primerano captures the heart and soul of Americans through her travels to this country's most unique spots to tie the knot. The stories are varied, humorous and intriging, conveying the wackiness that make us Americans. It was an enjoyable read even though I'm not even planning a wedding!

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